A Walk in the Park
by DragonLady37
Summary: "If ever there were two people from more different worlds, I'd be shocked. This article says a charm will identify our soulmates, and there's a little blurb about how your soulmate is the person best suited to you. He and I are as dissimilar as people can be." / EWE, Dramione, M for Mature Content, A Marriage Law & Soulmate Charm Fic
1. Chapter 1

**Trying my hand at the marriage law trope, with a little soulmate stuff thrown in. Working without a beta, but I hope my over-worked, but magical beta (Bella Luna 92) will get a chance to look over this at some point!**

**JK Rowling owns these characters. She is the queen. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_T-Minus 12 Months. __Let the countdown begin._

Hermione closed her eyes and carefully laid the newspaper on the table in front of her. She felt her hands shaking and she gripped her fingers together to stop them from trembling.

"OK, Mione?" Harry asked as he returned to their booth with two cups of tea. He sat one in front of her, a spoon on the saucer. He nudged the bowl of sugar cubes and the small pitcher of cream toward her then leaned across the table to grab four cubes to plop into his own tea with a small splash.

"Here," she said, nudging the paper toward him. While he picked it up, she spooned two lumps of sugar carefully into her tea, stirred it, and followed it with a splash of cream.

She watched Harry's mouth drop open and his cheeks bloom red with anger as he read the headline: _Marriage Law: Approved by the Wizengamot in Conjunction with the Soulmate Charm. _He skimmed it quickly, then met her gaze.

"What the bloody hell?" he said, crumpling the paper and dropping it, before looking at her.

"It passed," she said, sipping her tea, her hands still shaking. "Within the next year, every witch and wizard over the age of 25 has to be married. And apparently - " she scoffed and felt tears well in her eyes, though she managed to keep them at bay. "Apparently we aren't going to be allowed to choose our spouses. A _soulmate charm_, which is really just a compatibility charm patented by the Ministry, is going to do that for us." Her voice broke at the end, and she sat her cup down, letting it rattle against the saucer.

"But, what about you and - "

"I don't know," she said, traitorous tears escaping down her cheeks. "I only just found him, Harry." She closed her eyes. "It's only been a few months. I thought I'd have more time to figure things out with him. I thought - " She closed her eyes to try and staunch the flow of liquid. "I thought taking things slow would mean we'd be better off in the long run." She took a steadying breath. "I thought he could, one day, be it for me."

"He still could be," Harry said, his voice unsure. Hermione scoffed.

"If ever there were two people from more different worlds, I'd be shocked. This article says a charm will identify our soulmates, and there's a little blurb about how your soulmate is the person best suited to you. He and I are as dissimilar as people can be." She sipped her tea harshly. "We argued just yesterday about where to go for lunch."

"Still," Harry said, weakly.

"Aren't you worried it won't be Ginny?" she asked, her voice quiet, and Harry blanched. However, before he could, the object of Hermione's affection and worry appeared, slightly out of breath, still wearing his white healer robes.

He sat, kissed Hermione's cheek, and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Sorry I'm late," Draco Malfoy said as he leaned back in his chair.

Hermione tried to brush the tears off of her face before he noticed them, but he saw. His expression shifted to worried in an instant.

"What's wrong?" he asked, leaning forward and taking her hand in his.

Hermione stared at him, all the words suddenly gone.

"Potter?" he asked, looking to his girl's best friend. Harry grimaced.

"Have you seen the paper today?" he asked before swallowing.

"No." Draco narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Hermione gently pulled her hand from his and pulled the paper toward him. "Frontpage," she said, wiping her cheeks more thoroughly.

"I should go," Harry said, awkwardly looking away from Draco and standing, putting a handful of coins on the table, enough for both cups of tea. "I need to go talk to Gin."

He rounded the table and kissed the top of Hermione's head, then clapped Draco on the shoulder before he slipped away.

Draco read the article in its entirety - Hermione had only skimmed it - then sat it down, eyes on the table. He reached over and took her tea, took a sip, then replaced the cup before he met her eyes. She'd been staring at him, eyes wide, the whole time.

"You think we're doomed." It was a statement. There was no judgment or anger behind it. "You think this law means our relationship is doomed."

"I don't know." Her voice was barely a whisper.

He looked at her for a long moment, then offered her his hand. "Come on," he said, pulling her up. "Let's go for a walk."

With heavy steps, Hermione followed him, her tea cold and forgotten.

Her smaller hand wrapped in his, he walked her down the street, toward the little park where she'd taken him on their second date.

It had been very different than their first date. After Draco had convinced Hermione to have dinner with him - she'd been so sure it was some kind of trick to humiliate her publicly, and only a good word from Harry had convinced her to go - he'd taken her to the nicest restaurant in Muggle London. That was an impressive feat in and of itself but after their delicious, surprisingly fun mean, he'd gone way out of his comfort zone and had taken her to a Muggle movie. It was _that_ that really convinced Hermione that he'd asked her out because he _wanted _to.

So, on their second date, she'd taken him on a simple walk to the park to get honey roasted almonds from a street vendor, and they'd walked and shared the bag of treats and talked until they were exhausted.

That's where he took her now. He skipped the food stalls and instead shifted his grip on her hand so their fingers were laced together. It was cool - they'd started dating in August and it was nearing the end of October - and her hand was cold in his.

"I wasn't sure you were ever going to go out with me again, after that first date," he said, his breath fogging slightly in the air in front of them.

Hermione was jerked from her private reflection and looked up at him as they followed the wide, concrete path through the trees.

"Why?" she asked, leaning her shoulder against his arm. He chuckled.

"I wasn't sure if you were the kind of witch who liked fancy dinners. And after that, we went to that mover - "

"_Movie,_" she corrected him with a laugh.

"Right. Movie." He squeezed her fingers. "Well, I took you to that _movie, _and I thought for sure I'd bollocksed it up. You were so quiet after, I thought I'd disappointed you."

"I was just shocked," she said, loosening up a little as they talked and walked.

"Shocked I would take you to a muggle _movie_?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"Shocked that I was enjoying your company _so _much," she admitted with a smirk of her own. "After the war - " she felt his hand spasm in hers - "things between us shifted. I remember seeing you in Diagon, a few months after everything had been rebuilt, and you nodded at me." She smiled.

"I remember that," he said with a smile. "I'd just been accepted into the Healer program at St. Mungos. I actually wanted to come to talk to you that day."

"Why didn't you?" she asked as he slowed and led her to a bench. He released her hand to take off his scarf and lay it over the bench - the metal would be cold - before she sat. She was just starting to get used to his little pureblood-gentlemanly tendencies, and the thought that she wouldn't get the chance to get to know him more made her shiver with more than the cold.

"I panicked," he said, slipping his arm over her shoulder and tucking her against him. "I saw you across the street and froze. So I nodded, like a prat, and that was it."

"What would you have said?" she asked, leaning her cheek against the side of his chest.

"I had a plan," he said, clearing his throat. "I told myself if I ever saw you, I would apologize for - well, for everything."

"You did that later," she reminded him with a small smile as she remembered. "At a Ministry gala about a year later."

"I bollocksed that up, too, didn't I?" he asked with a laugh.

"You did." She smiled and he pulled her closer. "I think you started to apologize, but then we ended up arguing about something."

"I was sure you were going to punch me again." He leaned down at kissed her curls, a feeling vastly different than when Harry had done it earlier.

"I thought about it." She grinned and snuggled into his side a little more.

"That was the night I decided to ask you out. Have I ever told you that?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "No." She narrowed her eyes. "Was it for some trite, shallow reason? Because, away from my normal bookish appearance, you saw that I was passably attractive?"

He laughed, big and loud, startling a squirrel on a nearby tree into nearly falling from its limb. "No. Though, you did you look utterly lovely. It was when I thought you were just about to punch me again. I had this epiphany about you - no matter what, you would _always _fight for what you thought was right." He shrugged and rubbed her arm through her jumper. "I wanted to get to know that person better."

Hermione was silent for a long moment. Draco looked down at her and sighed.

"I'm not ready to let you go," Hermione admitted after a long moment. She turned to hide her face in his side.

"Why do you think you have to?" he asked, pulling her even closer. It was chilly and the autumn breeze was blowing their hair into their faces.

"This law goes into effect in a year. Until then, all non-soulmate marriages are banned - not that I think we're ready for marriage," she clarified, feeling herself blush. "All other relationships are allowed to continue, but only under the condition that, when the law goes into full effect, every single person will go in to have the soulmate charm applied and any non-soulmate relationships will be terminated." She had to stop when her voice caught.

"And you don't think we're soulmates." Again, it was a statement with no judgment.

"I don't even think I believe in soulmates," she said, her voice quiet. "But this charm is supposed to find the one person in all of wizarding Britain that has the highest compatibility for each of us. You and I - " she couldn't help but smile. "You and I argue _all _the time."

He laughed and let his hand slip from her shoulder and tucked it against her waist. "That we do, Granger."

"And that," she said, still smiling. "You still use my surname most of the time." She huffed in an exaggerated manner.

"You still call me Malfoy," he pointed out, and she rolled her eyes.

"Less than half the time," she argued. "And besides, this just furthers my point." Her voice lost its playful edge. "The soulmate charm, according to the article, will match us with other eligible witches and wizards who we're destined to get along with, forever." She sniffed, tears threatening to make a new appearance. "If anything, I'm destined for some old, boring wizard who'd always been too busy with work to form a personal life. You and I are too different." In the end, she was barely whispering.

Draco was quiet for a long moment. She felt him sigh again.

"If you're destined for some swotty old man, then I'm destined for some self-centered, boring aristocrat." He wrinkled his nose. "And I for one am not ready to give in to that bleak fate just yet."

"So what do we do?" she asked, closing her eyes as his hand traced shapes on her hip.

"We have a year before we find out for sure. Which means we have a year - _a whole year _\- to enjoy each other's company as much as we can," he said with confidence.

Hermione felt a sudden surge of insecurity. "Or," she whispered, leaning into him as much as she could, "you have a year to go out and figure out if there's another witch you'd rather spend your last free days with."

To her surprise, he laughed. "Oh, Granger." He kissed her hair again. "For the brightest witch of our age, you can be completely clueless."

"Clueless!" she said, leaning away to look at him with a scowl. "I was just trying to be considerate of your feelings. I was just - "

He cut her off with a kiss. Her eyes went wide before she softened and leaned into his lips with a sigh.

When he pulled away a few moments later, he was smiling. "There's only one witch I want to spend the next year with, and she's the swottiest, most clueless, loveliest witch I've ever had the pleasure of knowing." He kissed her again, quickly, in case she wanted to respond, and she laughed.

"A year." She sighed and fitted herself against his side again.

"A year," he repeated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Back-to-back chapters, because life is busy and I don't know when I'll be able to update if it's not all at once.**

**If you're enjoying it, please review, follow, favorite, or PM!**

***WARNING: This chapter contains MATURE adult content. No one under 18, please!***

* * *

_T-Minus 10 Months_

Just outside the door to Hermione's flat, Hermione stood, wrapped around Draco in the dim light from the hall lamps. She was barely standing - his arms around her were holding her up as he kissed her more passionately than she'd ever been kissed in her life.

"Inside," she gasped, reaching for her wand to disarm her wards with a quick flick of her wrist.

His mouth latched onto her neck as the door swung open, and he half-carried her inside.

The door all but slammed behind them as the lights sprang to life with Hermione's magical signature.

They fell onto the couch, and Draco rolled them so that he wasn't crushing her. He kissed down her jaw, down her neck, and she arched into him.

"Draco," she breathed, as he kissed her pulse point, biting lightly, sending shivers down her spine.

"Mmm?" he said as he kissed back up to her lips. She got lost for another moment in the sensation of his lips caressing hers.

"Draco," she gasped again, pulling back through sheer force of will.

"Everything OK?" he asked, pupils blown wide, cheeks pink, hair wild. He looked so vulnerable and open that she almost forgot what she had been thinking.

"Should we slow down?" She swallowed heavily. "I don't want - " she gripped his shirt in her hands, wanting to run them down his chest. "I don't want to do this if it's just because of the law." She blinked rapidly, her heart racing.

His hands slipped around to her lower back, and he gently tugged her closer. He kissed her chin. "Do you want to do this? With me?" He kissed the corner of her mouth, and her eyes drifted closed.

"Of course I do," she whispered as she softened toward him. "I just want it to be because you want me, and I want you. And only because of that."

"I do want you," he breathed as he kissed up to her ear. He nibbled her ear, and she shivered, tightening her grip on his shirt. "Not because we have an expiration date, but because you're stubborn, and brilliant, and gorgeous." He captured her lips again, and they pressed into one another.

Hermione let go of his shirt to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She could feel his heart pounding and knew he could feel hers.

"We should probably go to my bedroom then." She said between kisses.

Draco didn't hesitate. He pushed himself off the couch, standing with a bounce in his step, then grabbed her hands and pulled her up with him. She laughed as he dragged her down the hall toward her room.

They'd never ventured in here. Before the law was announced, they'd both agreed to take things slowly. But somehow, Hermione thought they would have wound up in here sooner rather than later regardless of some assinine law.

Once they were inside her room, he slowed down some. He closed the door behind him and just looked at her. Moonlight was streaming in the window, and with his pale hair and pale skin, he looked ethereal.

"Come here," he said, taking her hand. Feeling suddenly shy, she let him pull her closer. His hands went around her waist, and he rested his forehead against hers, eyes drifting shut.

She could feel his breath ghosting across her kiss-swollen lips.

"I wish I'd found you sooner," he whispered, and Hermione felt something in her heart crack.

"Me too," she breathed.

"Granger, I - "

Her heart rate spiked, and she pressed her lips to his, silencing whatever it was he was going to say. She thought she knew, she thought she wanted to say it right back, but she couldn't. Not with their imminent end looming closer every day.

She kissed him slowly, deeply, and he reciprocated, willing to let go of her anxiety and trepidation in the face of what could either be a perfect moment, or a heartbreaking one.

Sensing this, Draco softened against her. His arms slipped around her waist, and he cradled her against him gently. Moving together, they moved over toward the bed. Their hands, gentle but insistent, peeled away the others' clothing. Hermione unbuttoned Draco's shirt, her fingers finding the warm skin beneath. Draco slipped his hands beneath her camisole and peeled it over her head. His eyes drank her in, and she blushed, then traced the _sectumsempra _scar on his chest. He followed suit and ran the pad of his thumb over the scar Dolohov's curse had left, followed by a brush of his lips.

The rest of their clothes followed suit, and then they were standing, bathed in moonlight, staring at one another with so many unspoken words.

As if they were reading each others' minds, they stepped together. Their hands were gentle as they caressed each others' skin. Hermione gasped as he pressed against her, the evidence of his arousal hard and warm against her leg. She let her hands ghost over his shoulders and down his slender waist. Meanwhile, he cupped her bum and pulled her closer before trailing kisses over her shoulders.

Slowly, he guided them back onto the bed. His warm palms trailed lightly over her breasts and down her stomach. She keened when his hand traveled lower and barely brushed against her.

"Draco," she breathed as he kissed her shoulder. She rolled so that she was facing him and held either side of his face. "Draco."

He kissed her again and rolled them so that he was lying on top of her.

"You're sure?" he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I'm sure." She nodded. She reached between them and took him in her hand, feeling warmth pool in her belly as she felt how ready he was. She met his eyes as she guided him toward her. Slowly, he slipped inside, both sets of eyes falling closed for a moment.

"Hermione," he breathed against her temple, before placing a kiss there. She laughed lightly and kissed his jaw.

And then he began to move, slowly, and she moved with him. Every time they rocked together, Hermione let out a little gasp. Their slow rocking slowly grew more intense, faster, but still, they clung to one another as if they needed a lifeline.

Just before she reached her peak, she took his face in her hands. He met her gaze, eyes wide, lips parted, and even though they didn't say anything, the message was clear. This moment proved that, though they wouldn't have a choice, ten more months together would never be enough.

* * *

Afterward, Draco lay on his side, Hermione's back pressed to his belly. He'd pushed her hair aside and was periodically kissing the side of her neck. His arms were around her waist, and she was holding onto his forearms, trailing her fingers through the fine, blonde hair there. His body was curved around hers, her bum and legs pressed against the tops of his thighs, and Hermione couldn't help but think she'd never felt more at ease or more content.

"You know," he said, kissing the soft column of her throat again, "we could have been doing that for _years._" He kissed her shoulder. "Of course, if we'd been doing that for years, I'm not sure I'd ever have wanted to do anything else."

She laughed and curled around his arms more tightly, feeling him curl more securely against her.

"And then we would have missed out on so many things." She pulled one of his hands up to her mouth and kissed his palm, then flipped his hand over to kiss his fingers.

"Remind me of what those things are," he said, shifting to kiss the top of her arm as his free hand ran from her belly, over her hips, and down her thigh. "I'm struggling to remember."

She laughed, breathlessly as his fingers drew light patterns across her skin.

"Walks in the park." He kissed her throat and rolled her slightly toward him. "Stimulating discussions over tea." He covered part of her body with his own and kissed just below her chin. "Our m-movie and dinner dates." Her voice stuttered as he kissed down her sternum between her breasts.

"All good things," he murmured against her skin as her fingers got lost in his hair. "But this is pretty good, too," he said as he kissed her belly and trailed his lips over her hip bone, before making his way back up.

"Pretty good," she echoed with a smile as he pressed her into the mattress, and his lips pillowed her own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Only one chapter after this! I'd love to hear what you think!**

* * *

_T-Minus 6 Months_

"You're doing _what?_" Ron asked as he, Harry, and Hermione sat around a small table at The Three Broomsticks for lunch.

"I'm taking a sabbatical for the next few months," she said with a shrug.

"You, Hermione Jean Granger, are taking a sabbatical from _work_. For _months?_" Ron's mouth hung open, and Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Oi. What was that for?"

"I think it's great, 'Mione," Harry said with a small smile. "Where are you planning to go?"

Harry and Ginny had broken up shortly after the marriage law had been announced. Unlike Hermione and Draco, Ginny had felt like this was her last chance to experience life as a single young woman. Harry had been upset, reasonably so, but he'd gotten better over the last few months. Hermione wasn't sure, but she thought he was secretly seeing someone new. She hadn't asked him about it.

"We're going to travel, I think," she said, avoiding Ron's gaze.

"Oh, I get it now," Ron said, his tone angry.

"You get _what,_ Ronald?" Hermione asked, venom in her tone.

"You're going with Malfoy," he said with a look on his face like he just smelled something unpleasant.

"He is my boyfriend," she shot back, pushing her lunch plate away.

"For the next six months. But after that - "

The whole cafe went quiet as Hermione stood and slapped Ron across the face, something she never thought she'd do. She was shaking as she stared down at him, at the red handprint blooming on his pale, freckled cheek.

"After that," she breathed, "the Ministry will dictate my life. But before that, I'm going to spend what time I can with the man that I - " Her eyes popped wide at her almost admission. She cleared her throat. "If you can't understand that, I'd rather not be around you."

He stared up at her, blue eyes wide and full of remorse, but she was too angry to care.

"Harry, I'll owl you."

Harry just nodded, head down, eyes on the slim, gold band on Ron's left ring finger. Of the three of them, he was the only one who'd already been married when the bill was passed. He and Lavendar were exempt. He couldn't understand.

"'Mione…" Ron said, but Hermione turned and walked away without a backward glance.

* * *

Draco was waiting for her at her flat. They were leaving on a trip that evening - Draco was taking a sabbatical as well - and he had finished packing for the two fo them. A month before, he'd suggested they move in together, but Hermione had shot that idea down. She knew their time was limited, and moving in together was one more thing they'd have to separate when the time came. Of course, that didn't keep him from staying with her most nights, or from leaving a good number of clothes there, to make things easier.

"How did they take it?" he asked as she walked in. She responded by crossing to him and leaning her forehead against his chest. "That well, huh?"

"Harry understood, of course," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "But Ron - " she looked up at him, her face tight with anger. "He's an arse."

"I've been saying that for years," he joked, and her anger dissipated as she playfully scowled at him and poked his chest. "Listen," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "He's happily married, right?"

Hermione nodded.

"He can't understand our predicament then." He widened his stance so that he was closer to eye level with her. "But let's forget about Weasley and his ignorance. You an I are about to go on an _amazing _trip, one we'll remember for the rest of our lives - " his expression fell for a fraction of a moment, but he recovered quickly, "and we'll not let anything ruin it. Alright?"

She slipped her arms around his neck and nodded as he kissed her.

"Are you ready to go, Granger?" he asked after a moment, and she sighed, kissing his jaw.

"I've never been more ready."

* * *

_T-Minus 3 Months_

"I'm ready for another vacation," Hermione said as she lay across Draco's chest in bed one night after they'd both gone back to work. Their two-month sabbaticals had flown by, and the month since they'd returned to work had gone by far too quickly, but not in a good way. They'd both had to work long hours to make up for the time lost, and their time together was dwindling.

Draco laughed without feeling, and she felt the rumble of it in his chest. "Me too," he whispered, his laughter dying away to be replaced with something much more melancholy. It had been happening more and more lately, as the deadline for their impending end loomed closer and closer.

"When are you free tomorrow?" she asked before kissing his chest through the thin fabric of his tee-shirt.

"I work a half-shift, so just after lunch. You?" He absently played with the tangles that were her curls.

"I can leave shortly after that." She pressed herself into his side and felt his arm around her tighten. "We can go to dinner." The suggestion fell flat, but she felt him nod.

"That'll be nice."

They lay in silence for a while longer, both lost in thought.

"We still have three months," he whispered as if he knew what she was thinking. More and more, it seemed like he did. "Why does it feel like so much less time than that?"

"Do you think we made the wrong choice? Continuing on as we have?" She had cried herself out over the last nine months, but sadness and pain were her close friends at this point, and whenever she thought of her life without Draco, of losing him, she felt filled to the brim with both feelings.

"No," he said, hugging her close. "No. I can't imagine not - " His voice caught, and she turned her head to look up at him. His eyes were closed, his jaw was tight, and her heart ached with the sight. She quickly pushed herself up to cup his face. She kissed the lines of stress his clenched teeth and closed eyes caused.

"Me either," she breathed over his skin. He opened his eyes to look at her, and she saw a few tears welling there - something that happened extremely rarely - and it was all she could do to keep it together.

"How accurate do you think this soulmate charm is, anyway?" he asked.

She sat up a little and said, "I've been doing some research - "

He snorted, and she swatted his chest. "Of _course, _you have."

"As I was _saying._ I've been doing some _research,_ and it seems that the compatibility charm they're using has been patented by the Ministry." She rolled her eyes. "Some private company sold it to them. It's all very shady."

"I heard some members of the Wizengamot were trying to fight it. Those with children around our age." He pulled at one of her tangled curls and smiled when she made a face.

"I read about that," she said, sure to keep her expression neutral. "Maybe that means they'll overturn it in the next few months." She didn't really believe that. She knew how politics worked. There would be a few people who fought back, they'd make a good show of it, but once the wheels were set in motion, it didn't matter.

"Maybe," he said, sounding as equally unconvinced.

They were silent for a long time after. "Dinner tomorrow will be nice," she said as she lay back down on his chest, gripping his shirt as tightly as she could. She felt his hand rest on her low back with insistent pressure.

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

_T-Minus 1 Month_

"Are you ever going to talk to Ron again?" Harry asked as he and Hermione sat in the same cafe they had 11 months ago, the day they'd gotten the news, drinking tea.

"Probably," she said, a scowl on her face. "No time soon, though."

"Is Malfoy coming?" Harry asked, leaning back slightly. Hermione's scowl deepened.

"I have no idea," she said, her voice nearly a growl. "We've been arguing all week. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he decided to work through his lunch."

Harry sighed. "You're both ridiculous," he said, his voice suddenly hard. "Idiots, really."

"Excuse me?" Hermione said, pulling back with wide eyes.

"I said, you're both _idiots._" Harry clasped his hands on the table in front of him. "Do you know _why _you're fighting?"

Hermione scowled and opened her mouth to answer, but Harry held up his hand.

"You're fighting, because you're both so bloody scared of losing each other, and all that fighting is doing it, giving you less time together." He huffed and ran his hand through his shaggy hair. "You've found something wonderful, and it has an expiration date, and you're just letting it spoil."

Hermione's scowl fell away, and her head fell forward in shame. She was just about to get up, to go to the hospital and find Draco when the bell over the door sounded and in he walked, soaking wet from the rain, eyes wild.

He caught her gaze, and they both stared. Then she was out of her seat, and he was across the room, and he was holding her, soaking through her clothes, whispering how sorry he was in her ear while she whispered how sorry she was into his chest.

After a moment, Harry cleared his throat. "I'd just like to point out the fact that of the three of us, I got the lowest scores in school. And yet, I seem to be the smartest of the lot."

Hermione laughed and muttered a drying spell under her breath. "That's a bit of a stretch," she said as she pulled Draco to the seat beside her.

"Anyway. Now that you're both here," Harry said, suddenly nervous. "I thought you both ought to know that you're not alone in this - this horrible deadline. I've, well, I've been seeing someone."

"Tell us something we don't know," Draco said, earning a sharp elbow in the ribs form Hermione.

Harry stared at them, eyes wide, cheeks red. "You know her," he said, clearing his throat. His green eyes were wide, and he nudged his glasses higher on his nose. "We went to school together, as a matter of fact."

"Just tell us who it is," Hermione said as she leaned into Draco's side.

"Pansy Parkinson."

There was a long beat of silence before Draco laughed out loud, once, and Hermione sputtered out, "But, she tried to give you up to Volde- "

"Yes, yes. We have a bit of a sordid past. But, well, things are going rather well. And even though there's a deadline - "

"Are you happy?" Hermione asked, eyes hard. She stared at her oldest friend and watched him sit up tall.

"Yes." He pressed his lips together. "So happy, it feels like I'm dying."

Hermione found Draco's hand under the table and squeezed his fingers hard.

"She wanted to join us today." He cleared his throat again. "If that's all right."

"Of course it is," Hermione said. "Right?" She looked up at Draco, who was already looking down at her.

"Of course." His voice was husky, and she squeezed his fingers again.

"It's about time," Pansy said, appearing as if from nowhere and delicately taking the chair next to Harry. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and his face bloomed crimson. "I'm starving."

"Pansy," Draco said, clearing his throat. "It's good to see you."

She looked at him shrewdly, and then a slow smile spread across her face. Her hair was still inky black, but unlike at school, it had grown to her elbows instead of being contained in a bob.

"You too, Draco." She turned her gaze to Hermione, and her smile grew even more. "Who would have thought the four of us would be in such a predicament, eh?"

Hermione watched the girl, noticed how her fingers had found Harry's and laced them together, saw how she leaned toward Harry, and he leaned toward her.

"Who would have thought." Hermione smiled tightly, then waved to the waiter. "We better order before our lunch hour is over though."

Harry visibly relaxed and tugged Pansy against him, and Hermione leaned into Draco's side. She looked up at him, and he smirked as he glanced down at her instead of at the menu. He was beautiful. Just the sight of him made her stomach flutter. The sound of his voice filled her up with joy and irritation at the same time. The feel of his hand in hers grounded her in a way she hadn't known was possible. He pressed a kiss to her lips and turned his eyes back to the menu, and she realized that never in her life had she felt so happy.

So happy, it felt like dying.


	4. Chapter 4

**Last chapter! Grammarly is good, but when Bella Luna 92 gets a hold of this, it'll be much better.**

**Thanks to JK Rowling (MY QUEEN) for letting me borrow these lovely characters.**

**Please review, favorite, follow, or PM!**

* * *

_T-Minus 1 Week_

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked with a laugh as Draco led her, blindfolded, through Diagon Alley.

"It's a surprise," he said, a smirk in his voice.

"My birthday was last month, and you surprised me then. What could you possibly have to surprise me with me now?" She stumbled and he caught her around the waist, pressing a kiss to her lips before grabbing her hand to drag her along behind him again.

"We've been dating for a year and two months. Did you realize that?" he asked, his voice sounding suddenly nervous.

She forced a smile. "I did." Their steps slowed and she shivered in the cool October air.

He stopped her by putting his hands on her waist. He reached up, then, and untied the blindfold. She wasn't surprised to see where they were - the park where they'd had their second date, the park where they'd decided to be together, even if it was only for a limited time.

"I wanted to take you on a date," he said, his voice nervous again.

Hermione smiled and stepped into him, hands going to his shoulders. "This is a wonderful surprise."

"This isn't the surprise," he said with a quick smile. "Come on. Let's walk."

He laced their fingers together and led her through the park.

"Do you remember," he said, rubbing his thumb along her index finger, "our first kiss?"

Hermione blushed and ducked her head. "Of course I do," she said, brushing a curl behind her ear. "It was on our _third _date. You took me to a pumpkin patch."

"And you were allergic to the hay, and sneezed the entire time." He smiled.

"So we went to a diner instead, and after some pepper-up potion helped me stop sneezing, we shared a milkshake." She smiled up at him. "Double chocolate strawberry."

"And then I walked you home," he said as they walked slowly down the path, their feet crunching through the fallen leaves.

"I remember being so nervous," Hermione said, releasing his hand to slip under his arm.

"Afraid I would try and kiss you?" he joked, squeezing her shoulder, and she poked his ribs with a single finger.

"Afraid you wouldn't."

"Well, you didn't really give me the chance, did you?" he said with a laugh. "I'll never forget the look on your face. Your eyes were big, your cheeks were pink, and you kissed me in the middle of saying goodnight!"

Hermione's cheeks were tinged pink. "Patience is not one of my best features," she said, ducking her head.

Draco stopped walking and tilted her chin so that she was looking up at him. "I disagree. I think it's a wonderful trait." He smirked and she stood on her toes to press her lips to his. "By the way, we're here."

"Where?" she looked away from him toward where he was looking and a smile spread across her face. "A picnic?"

"We always said we'd take one," he said, his voice gruff. "I wanted today to be special." He laced their fingers together again and tugged her toward the picnic. "Come on."

The spread he had for them brought tears to her eyes in a happy way. Her favorites were all there - freshly cut fruit, tuna sandwiches, lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese icing, and freshly squeezed juice - and he prepared her food after placing a warming charm around them to fight off the October chill.

They ate and talked about their favorite memories from the last year.

Their two-month sabbatical had taken them to the coast, where they spent a week laying in the sun, splashing in the waves, and making love under the stars. They'd seen countless movies and tried out just as many restaurants all over England, both muggle and wizard establishments. Since Harry and Pansy had revealed their relationship, they'd gone on double dates and had game nights in. They'd laughed and cried and every day - even the hard ones - had been better than the last.

When the food was gone, and Draco had pulled out a bottle of chilled wine, Hermione scooted across the blanket to lean against him as she sipped the rich, red liquid.

"It's been the best year of my life, Granger," he said as he pressed a kiss to her temple. She closed her eyes as that pain and sadness that she'd lived with for nearly twelve months reared forth.

"Mine too," she whispered, smiling through tears that were suddenly leaking from her eyes. "I'm so glad I got to spend this time with you."

She looked up at him, and her smile fell. He was already looking down at her, his forehead creased.

"Granger," he said, putting his wine down, then putting hers down, before taking her hands in his. "I love you."

Her breath caught and her hands shook. She opened her mouth as fresh, fat tears fell from her eyes.

"I know you didn't want us to say it, because it would make things harder." His voice cracked.

"Then why did you say it?" she asked, her tears unstoppable now.

"Becuase - " he adjusted his grip on her hands. "Because, if this is the last week we have, I needed you to know how I felt. How I _feel_. No matter who the bloody ministry says I have to marry, it'll be you who I love."

She stared at him for a long moment, tears blurring her vision, before she launched herself at him, spilling their wine. She wrapped her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Draco," she breathed. "I love you, too." Her voice cracked as she kissed his neck once. Twice. "I love you so much, it hurts."

He tightened his grip around her and rested his forehead in the crook of her neck.

* * *

_Judgment Day_

"This is horrible," Hermione said, holding Draco's hand so tightly she knew it hurt.

"You'd think if they were going to put us through this, they wouldn't make us wait like this. They'd just let us get it over with," he said, his jaw tight.

"We could run," Hermione whispered, looking up at him with wild eyes. "We could run to the United States or Canada. Start fresh."

"I already thought of that," he said, his voice dark. He pulled her to him. "They put up national wards weeks after the law went into effect. We could only leave for our vacation because I agreed to let them track my magical signature the whole time." His voice was low and gravelly. Hermione's heart beat painfully in her throat.

"I don't think I can do this," Hermione said, her throat feeling raw as if she'd been screaming.

"Hey," Harry said, pushing through the crowd toward where they sat near the stairs. Pansy's hand was clasped tightly in his, her face drawn, her eyes swollen from tears.

"They're calling us in one at a time," Hermione said with a sniff. "No particular order." Draco tugged her closer.

"What's your plan?" Harry asked, sitting and pulling Pansy against his side. She buried her face in his neck and Hermione's heart broke again. And again. And again.

"Be together. Until the last possible moment," Draco said, his voice raw, too. Hermione was trembling like a leaf and he held her tightly against him.

"Us too," Harry said with a nod.

"Maybe they'll call us last, and we'll get more time," Hermione said, hopefully.

"Draco Malfoy!" a voice called, and Hermione felt like her heart might stop. Eyes all around turned toward them, and Draco's eyes - wide and panicked - shot to hers. "Draco Malfoy!" the voice called again.

"Oh, gods," Hermione whispered, her heart thundering, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "Draco - "

He pulled her to him and kissed her, hard. Her hands went into his hair and he clutched her to him. She tried to pour her love into that kiss, tried to pour any unspoken words, anything she'd forgotten to share with him and would now never get to, into the places where they touched.

"Draco Malfoy!" The voice was insistent now, and he pulled away. His hands on her face were shaking, too.

"I love you," he breathed, and she sobbed quietly, nodding against his forehead.

"I love you, too." The words weren't enough. They would never be enough. "I'll always love you."

He smirked and kissed her again, softly this time. "Always, Granger. Always."

And then, he was being gently pulled away by two wizard guards who, to their credit, looked as if they didn't want to.

Draco shrugged them off and straightened his suit jacket, then looked at her one more time. He smiled and she smiled back, even as tears streamed down her face. It wasn't until they lead him through one of the four doors that she let herself collapse, falling to the ground, hands over her mouth, as sobs wracked her body. No one moved to comfort her, and she was glad. The last hands on her had been his, and she wasn't ready for other hands to erase that memory yet.

_Always, Granger. Always. _She closed her eyes and tried to remember the feel of his lips as she waited for her name to be called.

* * *

It was over two hours later they finally called her name. Harry had been called shortly after Draco, and she and Pansy had sat, not touching, not speaking, drowning in their respective fear. When Pansy was called after that, Hermione had been left alone.

In the intervening time, horrible thoughts started to invade her mind. Draco had certainly gotten the charm by now. What if he'd already met his match. She imagined her - tall, beautiful, a pureblood, no doubt. She knew Draco's heart, knew he wouldn't be so easily swayed, but she also knew that the choice wasn't his to make. With the tick of each second, her heart broke a little more.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they called her name. "Hermione Granger!"

She went voluntarily, exhausted. She was directed through the second door.

Inside was a small room with a big, reclined chair in the middle.

"Ms. Granger!" came an overly cheerful voice that belonged to a small, plump woman with rosy cheeks and brilliantly white hair that stuck out all over her head. "Welcome. Isn't this so exciting?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, her voice raw.

"This!" the woman said, oblivious to Hermione's heartbreak. "We are at the forefront of a revolutionary new world! A world made up of magically compatible pairs who are destined to produce an extraordinary generation of wizarding children."

"Right." She didn't have it in her to argue.

"Now, if you'll just sit here - " she motioned toward the big, empty chair. "The charm only takes a moment."

Hermione hesitated only a moment before sitting, resigned to her fate. "How does it work?"

"It's brilliant, really," the witch said, smiling as she recorded Hermione's name on a clipboard. She flicked her wand and Hermione's vitals and physical information - eye color, hair color, height, weight, age - all floated in light blue text in the air as the witch copied it onto the clipboard. "It's a charm designed to determine a person's compatibility with another person. It takes into account your personality, your needs, your desires, essentially finding your soulmate for you!" She grinned as the floating blue text disappeared and she sat the clipboard down. "It was based on the Sorting Hat at Hogwart's - a very similar charm there. So far, we've had excellent results!"

"The Sorting Hat?" Hermione asked, her heart suddenly racing.

"Yes. Isn't that _fascinating?_" the witch asked. "Now, just lie back and relax. Clear your mind and let the charm do the work, alright dear?"

Hermione nodded, her mind whirring. The Sorting Hat placed you in your house based on all those factors and more, but it also took into consideration what you wanted.

"Here we go, dear."

Hermione closed her eyes, but she did not clear her mind. _Draco,_ she thought, picturing his smile, his smirk, the way his eyes looked silver in the moonlight. She imagined the feel of his lips on hers, the feel of his hands on her skin, his breath ghosting across her ear as he whispered that he loved her. _Draco. _

"And, we're done!" The witch whose name she hadn't bothered to learn clapped her hands and Hermione's eyes popped open, startled. "Now, you'll go through this door, where all the other witches and wizards who haven't been matched yet are waiting. You'll know your soulmate because he or she will be, quite literally, _glowing. _At least for you." She winked. "It was nice to - "

But Hermione didn't wait for her to finish. She was up and through the door as quickly as she could be.

She burst into the room and was surprised by how few people were left. _What if he had already been matched with someone else? What if he hadn't known about the choice? _

She stood at the top of a set of small stairs and looked around the room, panicking. He wasn't here.

"Hermione." She spun around and saw Ginny, a sad look on her face.

"Ginny," she said, her heart racing. "Have you seen - "

"Harry left with Pansy. _Pansy Parkinson._" She choked out a sob. "Can you believe that? I was so sure we'd - "

"Harry was matched with Pansy?" Hermione asked, hope blooming fresh in her chest. "You're sure?"

"Yes. It was so strange. They just sort of fell into each other. Pansy was crying. I was sure he'd be it for me, you know?"

Hermione nodded, but her heart was pounding so hard, it hurt, and she needed to move around the room, to find Draco. "Listen, Gin. I need to go. Have you seen - "

"Granger?"

It was as if her heart stopped. His voice broke at the end and she forgot about Ginny. She swallowed, terrified to turn around. What if he wasn't glowing? What if -

She spun, quickly, like ripping off a bandaid.

There stood Draco, eyes wide and terrified, surrounded in brilliant white light like an angel.

She covered her mouth and stifled a sob that quickly turned into a laugh. As if he read her mind, they moved simultaneously and connected, shaking arms wrapping each other up. Her lips found his and she kissed him as if he were water and she was moments from dying of thirst.

"Granger," he whispered against her lips, his hands on her face slid back into her hair. "Hermione," he said.

"It took into consideration what we wanted," she said against his lips. He nodded and kissed her forehead, his hands still trembling.

"Like the Sorting Hat." His voice was rough and she gripped his cheeks, relishing in the feel of his soft stubble.

She laughed as tears slipped down her cheeks, the well of pain and sadness that she'd carried for a year trickling away.

"I love you." She kissed his lips and he locked his arms around her.

"And I love you. Always." He kissed her forehead and she felt a laugh bubble up. "Potter and Pansy left a while ago. What say we follow suit and head back to your flat?"

The normalcy of that action alone set her to laughing big and loud. He watched her, a smirk on his face before he laced their fingers together and started tugging her toward the exit. Ginny watched them go, a puzzled look on her face.

"Before we head home, can we go for a quick walk in our park?" he asked. She laughed and smiled, too overcome with happiness to noticed the nervousness in his eyes. He tucked her against his side.

The park was close by and they walked in relative silence until they came to the spot where Draco had set up their picnic.

"Granger," he said, pulling her to a bench near where they'd eaten. "This morning I woke up thinking that this would possibly be the last day we had together. But part of me had hope - hope that _this _would happen. That the universe would see us for what we were - soulmates - and bless me more time with you." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. "I made all kinds of plans, you know. If someone else had been assigned to me, I had a plan. I was going to take legal action. I was going to figure out a way to run, to get you to come with me. But I had faith, somehow, that things would work out for us."

"Draco - "

"I wanted to do this before. But I knew, if things didn't go our way, it would just make things more painful. But now - now I want you to know that the Ministry doesn't get to dictate this because it's my choice - it's _our _choice, and no matter what, I will always choose you."

"What are you saying, Draco?" Hermione asked, her heart beating an exciting cadence.

From his pocket, he pulled a small black box. He opened it and inside sat rose-gold band with a single pink quartz stone set into the band.

"I have loved you for over a year. I've known that you were it for me since our first date. I bought this after our first kiss before the Ministry intervened in our lives. And now, Hermione Jean Granger, I need to ask you a question."

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, to jump the gun, as she had for their first kiss, but she stopped herself and smiled. He saw it and smirked, kissing her softly once.

"Granger. Hermione." He stroked her cheek with his thumb and he smiled. "Marriage law or not, soulmate charm or not, you're it for me. So, please, will you marry me?"

Hermione laughed and gripped his cheeks in her hands. Months of dreading the moment that he married someone else, that she married someone else. Months of the fear that she would lose him. All had lead to this.

"Yes," she breathed, laughing as she spoke. "Oh, gods, yes."

He slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her. She felt the laughter in his chest as he pulled her to him, the October chill fought off by his sheer presence.

After long moments of kissing, of hugging, of basking in the relief of knowing they wouldn't be separated, Hermione pulled back and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Ready to go home?" she asked, rewarded with his sigh and a quiet laugh.

"I've never been more ready."

* * *

**And that's a wrap! I know it's fluffy, but...I love fluffy things. Hope you enjoyed it! Looking forward to your feedback! #DramioneForever **


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